Nominations for the 2011 Staff Make Students Count Award are now open. The annual award recognizes staff who have provided outstanding service to students anywhere in the UA System. Each recipient receives an award plaque, $1,000 and two domestic airline vouchers. All nominees receive a certificate of nomination. President Gamble will present the awards at a Board of Regents' meeting.

All regular, full-time permanent and part-time permanent, exempt and non-exempt staff employed by the University of Alaska are eligible to apply. Service to students may include service as part of the job or as volunteer service, either directly or indirectly, to current or prospective students.

Up to four individuals can receive the award; one each for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Alaska Southeast, and Statewide Programs and Services, provided there are nominations from each one, the nominations meet the criteria and are submitted by the March 15 deadline.

Please be sure to review eligibility guidelines before submitting a nomination online. For more information contact the UAF Governance office at 474-7056 or fystaff@uaf.edu.

Do you know someone who would make a good representative on the Statewide Administration Assembly, or are you interested yourself?� Then consider nominating them or yourself for one of the open seats in the upcoming election!

Nominations are due by 5:00 p.m., Friday, March 25, 2011.� Send nominations by email to sysaa@email.alaska.edu or drop list of nominations in the ballot box provided at 105H Butrovich. All regular and temporary statewide employees, not including student employees, may vote in the election.

The election results will fill four Fairbanks voting seats and one Anchorage voting seat to serve July 2011 through June 2013, as well as two alternates to serve July 2011 through June 2012.

Outgoing SAA voting members whose terms end June 30, 2011 are those of Anchorage member DeShana York, and Fairbanks members Dana Platta, Monique Musick, Rita Murphy, and Earl Voorhis. Alternate members whose terms also end June 2011 are Linda Hall and Courtney Carlson.

Continuing SAA voting members whose terms end in June 2012 are Fairbanks members Lisa Sporleder, Betty Dupee, Bess Rounds, Jeff Holloway and Izzy Martinez, and Anchorage member Erica Kurowski.

UAF’s Office of Sustainability has partnered with UAF’s Community and Technical College to install power-saving cords on campus and employee vehicles. The new technology reduces the amount of electricity needed to keep vehicles warm when they are plugged in.

The cords reduce the cost of heating the engine coolant by using power only when the engine coolant temperature drops below a certain temperature.

The goal of the program is to install cords in university owned vehicles and employee vehicles that are routinely plugged in on campus. To date, 31 cords have been installed on university-owned vehicles at UAF Facilities Services.� Beginning Feb. 14, the UAF Community and Technical College will donate the use of their automotive technology facility at 3201 Industrial Avenue for installation of the cords on vehicles owned by students, faculty and staff members.

Golden Valley Electric Association is donating the cords and Brandon Hoover, a student employee of the Office of Sustainability, will install them. The program was developed by the student RISE board, a group of students with the mission of making UAF a sustainable campus. Appointments can be scheduled through the UAF Office of Sustainability, Mondays and Wednesdays from 3-5 p.m. and Thursdays from 4-6 p.m.

Contact: Michele Hebert at 907-474-5070 or via e-mail at mahebert@alaska.edu for more information.

Millennials in the Workplace and on Campus

Find out who the Millennials really are, what they’re looking for in their careers, and how employers, educators and policy makers can maximize their workforce potential.��

Neil Howe, best-selling author and national speaker, is a renowned authority on generations in America. He gives readers and audiences powerful insights into today’s generation, what motivates them as consumers and workers, and how they will shape our national future.� MORE.....

March 3, 2011; 3:30 pm-4:45 pm� Princess Lodge, Jade Room 2nd Floor – Fairbanks
Although this event is being held on location of the Lilly Arctic Institute, no fees will be charged to attend or view Neil Howe’s event.�

March 4, 2011; 1:30 – 3:00 pm Rasmuson Hall 101 - Anchorage

To register for either event, visit the training calendar.

Neil Howe’s visit is sponsored by the United Academics, University of Alaska Statewide Office of Human Resources, UAF Office of Faculty Development and UAA Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence.
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The Cornerstone UAF staff and faculty newsletter has a new look and format.� The goal of the Cornerstone is to provide timely, relevant information to our employees.

With this update, the Cornerstone will function as an internal online resource with new information added daily. Marketing and Communications will send out a reminder e-mail linking to the site once a week, but it is recommended to bookmark the site and check back often. You can subscribe to RSS feeds by category or to the entire newsletter so you receive an alert when something new is posted.

Looking for items on research, sustainability or public service? The articles are tagged so that you can find that information easily with keywords or through the search feature.

Buttons linking to the Grapevine website, the UAF newsroom, and UAF facts and figures are contained within the site, as well as daily calendars for UA-UAF training and the UAF Weekly Science calendar.

You'll also find links to useful information including the Statewide Benefits website, the Board of Regents, and the faculty handbook and other staff resources. The UAF on Alert button provides updates for safety information and possible campus closures.

Tips, suggestions and audit related information from the Statewide Office of Internal Audit
For more information, please contact the department at 907-450-8094.

Office Logs:
A log used to centralize and track all pertinent information related to a transaction, function or operation is one of the best organizational tools.� If an electronic log is used, controls should be in place so that only the custodian has the ability to update or modify the log.� If a hard copy log is used, only ink should be used.� Regardless of the log format (electronic or hardcopy), it should be accessible by those who need to use it, protected against modification by non-authorized individuals, continually updated, and reconciled against Banner (or other data as needed). The beauty is that you may own as many of these tools as needed, and customize them to suit your office needs.� Some examples of logs are purchasing, travel, checks received by mail, and transfer of custody of checks/deposits.� Just remember: when developing a log, do not create fields for documenting the full 16-digit credit card number used by a customer or the security code from the back of the card.

Sponsored Programs Effort Certification:
Effort Certification procedures apply to all individuals whose labor is charged to sponsored programs. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 220 (2 CFR, Part 220), OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Higher Educational Institutions, Section J.10. describes several acceptable methods for certification of effort on sponsored program funds.� The University of Alaska has implemented the certification of after-the-fact method, which is described in the Statewide Accounting and Administrative Manual D-04 ‘Effort Certification Requirement’.�

It is critical that the university maintains compliance with OMB circulars and internal policies and procedures such as D-04.�� The federal government has placed an emphasis in recent years on audits of effort reported on sponsored program agreements. They conduct their audits against criteria from internal policies and procedures, as well as the OMB circulars.� Other higher education institutions have been required to repay millions of dollars due to reasons including, but not limited to, non-compliance with their own policies and procedures, not having policies and procedures deemed critical by the auditors, not having adequate support documentation for labor charged, charging overloads to federal funds, and not being able to demonstrate that the individual certifying the effort was actually in a position to be knowledgeable of the individual’s duties for the specified time period.� Furthermore, audit findings may increase the risk of lost future funding.

Internal Audit is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. (International Professional Practices Framework, January 2009)
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The University won the following awards at the annual Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awards banquet for the State of Alaska on January 27. �

UAF Community and Technical College
1st Place Award of Excellence: Video (Michelle Renfrew, Darcy Harrod, Barbara Price)
1st Place Award of Excellence: External Publication (Michelle Renfrew, Darcy Harrod, Amy Bristor)
2nd Place Award of Excellence: Brochure (Michelle Renfrew, Darcy Harrod, Amy Bristor)
3rd Place Award of Excellence: Special Printed Promotional Material (Michelle Renfrew, Darcy Harrod, Barbra Price)

UAF Marketing and Communications
1st Place Award of Excellence: Speech Writing (Scott McCrea, Brian Rogers)
3rd Place Aurora Award: The University of Alaska Fairbanks Grapevine (Carla Browning, Jenn Baker, Jackie Stormer, Scott McCrea, Sharon Burke)

University of Alaska
1st Place Award of Excellence: Annual Report UA Foundation (Monique Musick, Kate Ripley, Mary Rutherford)

UA staff are encouraged to participate in the Pick.Click.Give. charitable contributions program when filing the application for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. It is a simple and effective way to donate to many organizations, including the University of Alaska.

For more information please visit http://pickclickgive.org or go to www.pfd.state.ak.us to donate.

It’s the new year, start it out right with Get the Point!
The Get the Point Incentive Campaign began February 1 and runs through July 31. WIN for Alaska has added new prizes and updated the system. The program goal remains the same, to help you incorporate healthful habits into your lifestyle and reward you for consistent healthful living.

Beginning in February, track your activities at least once a month in any one of the TWO AND/OR FOUR CONSECUTIVE MONTH incentive campaign periods. Once you start, you have TWO AND/OR FOUR CONSECUTIVE MONTHS to complete the GTP incentive campaign. If you don’t reach a tier on your first try, you can try again the next month. However, once you reach a tier, you are locked in for that campaign period.

Incentive Campaign Periods (You must have at least 1+ point in each of the two and/or four consecutive months to be eligible.)

• February - May
• March - June
• April - July

There were an amazing number of prizes awarded during the GTP 2010 Incentive Campaign, and we look forward to your continued success in 2011!

• 2010 2-month prizes awarded: 905
• 2010 4-month prizes awarded: 849

Interested? Look for details in the next Health Link, visit Health In Action or go to GTP.
Only UA Health Plan eligible employees may participate.

Spring forward with our Spring Fitness Activities, designed to give you flexibility, strength and vitality.
Some classes require registration, as class size is limited. To register, click on the link in your area below, or visit www.uahealthinaction.com .
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ANCHORAGE
Triathlon Training
Yoga�
Pilates

FAIRBANKS
Yoga
Tai Chi
Pilates
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JUNEUAU
Yoga
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Presented by WIN for Alaska, Inc.
Your UA Health In Action Wellness Program provider.
www.uahealthinaction.com

Keep up-to-date on current wellness benefits and be inspired by healthy lifestyle tips through the UA Health Link. This online newsletter provides monthly updates on IHP programs, wellness breaks, current incentive programs and more. If you missed this month's issue, read it HERE.

Social media is a rapidly growing means of communication and outreach. If you are on Facebook we would like you know about some of the different UA departments, campuses and groups that you can join.

University of Alaska System

UA College Savings Plan

University of Alaska Fairbanks

UAF Community and Technical College

Freddie Fish (FAFSA Frenzy)

University of Alaska Museum of the North

University of Alaska Anchorage

There are many more out there for specific colleges, student groups, bookstores and more. Please take a moment to become a "Fan" of the University of Alaska and put another great avenue of communication at your fingertips.